MalaBeads wrote:The money thing is interesting.It might be worth remembering that Longchenpa was one of the nearly destitute types. Even in his culture, which was poor to begin with.

Note that Jinpa Rangdrol says he is pretty destitute but still takes teachings continually at Tara Mandala.

/magnus

We are all here to help each other go through this, whatever it is.~Kurt Vonnegut

"To reject practice by saying, 'it is conceptual!' is the path of fools. A tendency of the inexperienced and something to be avoided."- Longchenpa

"Even though you have recognized your essence, if you do not get accustomed to it,You will be carried away by the enemy of thoughts, like a small child in a battle field.So long as you are not free from the limitations of accepting and rejecting,That long will you not recognize the view of the innermost secret heart-essence."

To be fair, Lama Tsultrim was only recognized as a Tulku of Machig something like 5 years ago (I don't remember exactly, so please correct me if I'm wrong), so it has very little to do with her status as a teacher. It's not like she was given a title and then started acting like a lama, but rather she spent her entire adult life pursuing the path and promoting the Tibetan yogini tradition, and then only recently was she "outed" as an emanation. So if you're going to judge her it should be based on her actions, not for some honor she never really asked for and couldn't refuse.

"Tara Mandala becomes 'Dam Trog' with the Dzogchen Community. We just hosted a delightful weekend retreat at Tara Mandala with Chogyal Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche. It took place during the eclipse and full moon of the most auspicious month of the Tibetan Calendar, Saga Dawa. He consecrated the temple and also transmitted for the first time a terma sadhana from Nyagla Pema Duddul called Dugkarmo. She is a thousand-headed thousand-armed manifestation of the Great Mother Dharmakaya. Very powerful for removing obstacles. At his suggestion Tara Mandala is creating a formal relationship with his organization Dzogchen Community called "Dam Trog" which means Samaya Fellowship, where the organizations function independently but have a close association and transmission ties and exchanges of teachers and teachings."

Great o hear about the Dam-trog. Sincere congratulations to Lama Tsultrim Allione for doing all that was necessary to make this happen. I'm sure many obstacles have been cleared from the path of Tara Mandala due to this. E-ma-ho!

asunthatneversets wrote:It's unfortunate there was no webcast for this retreat...

This is ironic, because the only reason there was no webcast is because the internet at TM is rather shoddy due to its secluded location. Upgrading the internet to allow for live web-streaming is possible and may even be in consideration for the future, but it's a fairly in-depth process that would require a loooot of..... money. And asking people to make donations to make the internet faster isn't exactly the easiest sell...

Slash I don't necessarily want a cell tower where I do retreat, do you?

The weekend was absolutely lovely. Rinpoche's 108 songs/dances were a lovely supplement to the Dugkarmo teachings. Nice to personally make a connection with the Dzogchen community, having encountered Rinpoche's teachings and done his practices via Lama Tsultrim, webcasts, etc., and being a student of Shang Shung's TTM school. It was quite wonderful.

Also, Rinpoche displayed an extremely touching act of generosity at the end of the retreat, which actually ties in to this whole thread. I have never seen a Lama refuse dana. Ever. Nor do I ever expect them to. It solidifies the tendrel between the teacher and student, etc. But when Rinpoche was publicly handed the large envelope filled with all of the students' dana offerings and a couple of chocolate bars, he excitedly removed the chocolate bars and handed the envelope back, saying, "I don't need this. I need this chocolate! But I don't need this money. Maybe use this to help build some more cabins." There weren't many dry eyes in the house.

JinpaRangdrol wrote:Also, Rinpoche displayed an extremely touching act of generosity at the end of the retreat, which actually ties in to this whole thread. I have never seen a Lama refuse dana. Ever. Nor do I ever expect them to. It solidifies the tendrel between the teacher and student, etc. But when Rinpoche was publicly handed the large envelope filled with all of the students' dana offerings and a couple of chocolate bars, he excitedly removed the chocolate bars and handed the envelope back, saying, "I don't need this. I need this chocolate! But I don't need this money. Maybe use this to help build some more cabins." There weren't many dry eyes in the house.

you know, he does that all the time... he really doesn't give a sh*t about money. I remember one occasion where he took the money out of an envelope, gave the money back and said something like "I don't want that... but I keep this envelope 'cause I like it!"

Bhusuku wrote:you know, he does that all the time... he really doesn't give a sh*t about money. I remember one occasion where he took the money out of an envelope, gave the money back and said something like "I don't want that... but I keep this envelope 'cause I like it!"

Contentment is the ultimate wealth;Detachment is the final happiness. ~Sri Saraha

Bhusuku wrote:you know, he does that all the time... he really doesn't give a sh*t about money. I remember one occasion where he took the money out of an envelope, gave the money back and said something like "I don't want that... but I keep this envelope 'cause I like it!"

Bhusuku wrote:you know, he does that all the time... he really doesn't give a sh*t about money. I remember one occasion where he took the money out of an envelope, gave the money back and said something like "I don't want that... but I keep this envelope 'cause I like it!"

I confirm that ChNN Rinpoche never takes the money. Moreover, himself and his family are the major donors for the activities of the different DC Gars and Lings all over the world. Isn't he an extraordinary Master?

"My view is as vast as the sky, but my actions are finer than flour" ~ Padmasambhava ~

yegyal wrote:To be fair, Lama Tsultrim was only recognized as a Tulku of Machig something like 5 years ago (I don't remember exactly, so please correct me if I'm wrong), so it has very little to do with her status as a teacher. It's not like she was given a title and then started acting like a lama, but rather she spent her entire adult life pursuing the path and promoting the Tibetan yogini tradition, and then only recently was she "outed" as an emanation. So if you're going to judge her it should be based on her actions, not for some honor she never really asked for and couldn't refuse.

JinpaRangdrol wrote:Also, Rinpoche displayed an extremely touching act of generosity at the end of the retreat, which actually ties in to this whole thread. I have never seen a Lama refuse dana. Ever. Nor do I ever expect them to. It solidifies the tendrel between the teacher and student, etc. But when Rinpoche was publicly handed the large envelope filled with all of the students' dana offerings and a couple of chocolate bars, he excitedly removed the chocolate bars and handed the envelope back, saying, "I don't need this. I need this chocolate! But I don't need this money. Maybe use this to help build some more cabins." There weren't many dry eyes in the house.

Namkhai Norbu did the same thing at a retreat I attended. He said put it back into the land, build more cabins, etc. just as you said. I don't even think he opened the envelope. I think he just said, "what is this? money?" and then handed it over to someone else. He was more excited about a package that he suspected might be a book and was having difficulty opening. I really love that guy. I don't think he really pays much attention to the money.

"Use what seems like poison as medicine. We can use our personal suffering as the path to compassion for all beings." Pema Chodron

Bhusuku wrote:you know, he does that all the time... he really doesn't give a sh*t about money. I remember one occasion where he took the money out of an envelope, gave the money back and said something like "I don't want that... but I keep this envelope 'cause I like it!"

I confirm that ChNN Rinpoche never takes the money. Moreover, himself and his family are the major donors for the activities of the different DC Gars and Lings all over the world. Isn't he an extraordinary Master?

that is crystal clear ...

S

By understanding everything you perceive from the perspective of the view, you are freed from the constraints of philosophical beliefs.By understanding that any and all mental activity is meditation, you are freed from arbitrary divisions between formal sessions and postmeditation activity.- Longchen Rabjam -

jbaumannmontilla wrote:The discussion here is misinformed, slanderous, and abusive towards people who have devoted their lives to spreading the dharma. Thank you all for reminding me why I stopped following this board. Bye.

Sad to see this discussion depart from the OP into casual economics. (do you guys have moderators?)

Two great teachers coming together and it's about economics? She is hardly a "lucky lady", she is a force in her own right... so very dismissive to call her that. I'm delighted they are coming together, he was an early teacher for her. BTW, she also has taught Mandarava practice ... I learned it from her in the 90's.

I was on the land at Tara Mandala for 12 days in 2005 for a very special event. I moved heaven and earth to get there and helped cook for 300 in the outdoor kitchen long before any buildings so that I could attend. If you want to go, ask and be prepared to help. It's actually not so hard. I used to do it regularly.

Bhusuku wrote:you know, he does that all the time... he really doesn't give a sh*t about money. I remember one occasion where he took the money out of an envelope, gave the money back and said something like "I don't want that... but I keep this envelope 'cause I like it!"

I confirm that ChNN Rinpoche never takes the money. Moreover, himself and his family are the major donors for the activities of the different DC Gars and Lings all over the world. Isn't he an extraordinary Master?

He is, but this with the money I have seen my own Guru do for decades. I am pretty sure many other Lamas also do it when they teach at their own centers.

/magnus

We are all here to help each other go through this, whatever it is.~Kurt Vonnegut

"To reject practice by saying, 'it is conceptual!' is the path of fools. A tendency of the inexperienced and something to be avoided."- Longchenpa

"Even though you have recognized your essence, if you do not get accustomed to it,You will be carried away by the enemy of thoughts, like a small child in a battle field.So long as you are not free from the limitations of accepting and rejecting,That long will you not recognize the view of the innermost secret heart-essence."

I have seen hhdl, hh karmapa and geshe sonam all refuse money offerings on several occasions. It does not mean that it is not touching, just that it is not unique, there are many lamas who do not have funds as their first priority.